Carver County Residents Stand Against ICE Contract

Renting jail cells to ICE is a downstream disaster

The air in the second-floor meeting room of the Chaska Government Center was heavy on Tuesday, charged with the collective breath of neighbors standing shoulder-to-shoulder. The crowd was so large it spilled into the hallway, where dozens more leaned toward television screens, their faces illuminated by the flickering broadcast of a meeting that had ceased to be routine business.

An estimated 130 Carver County residents—from Chaska to Laketown Township—had gathered for a singular purpose: to define the moral and fiscal boundaries of their community. They came to protest a contract Sheriff Jason Kamerud is pursuing with ICE to rent county jail cells for detaining people taken during federal raids.

Carver County citizens testify in opposition to renting jail cells to ICE

For an hour and fifteen minutes, the standard hum of bureaucracy was replaced by the urgent voices of twenty-four speakers. They did not just list concerns; they described a community currently under siege by fear, profiling, and the threat of a fiscal “downstream disaster.”

A Shattered Peace

The testimony began with visceral accounts of a recent ICE raid in Chanhassen, establishing the federal agency not as a partner in safety, but as a source of local chaos. Chris and Katie, observers at the scene, described a “lawless” environment where federal agents allegedly assaulted peaceful protesters and used pepper spray to intimidate residents near a local construction site.

“Neighbors, workers, organizers... stood outside in the cold for hours,” Pam (Chaska) noted, contrasting the community’s compassion with a federal system she described as treating people as “expendable.” This violent disruption of Chanhassen’s quiet streets marked a turning point that residents argue the county cannot afford to subsidize.

The Fiscal Trap: A Downstream Disaster

Monique (Chaska) provided a strategic audit of the county’s current crisis, framing the contract as a threat to fiscal integrity. She highlighted a severe staffing shortage in the Sheriff’s Office—marked by a 40% turnover rate—that recently forced a $200,000 refund to Chanhassen for unfulfilled patrols [PDF].

“If we cannot even fulfill our paid contracts to our own cities, why are we volunteering to do the federal government’s work?” Monique asked. She argued that while the Sheriff might get an “enforcement headline,” the Board will be left with the “social services cleanup” as deported breadwinners plunge families into poverty and children into the county’s child protection system.

A Web of Values: The Human Toll

The testimony revealed a “Four-Corner Opposition” to the contract, moving beyond politics to the core identity of the county:

• Public Safety & Trust: Gracia (Chaska) shared that the Latino community now lives in a “foundation of fear,” where children go to school wondering if their parents will be home when they return.

• Economic Stability: Megan (Chaska) warned of a growing boycott, stating that families of color are staying home and avoiding local businesses out of fear of being profiled.

• Moral and Faith-Based Authority: Several residents, including Sally (Chanhassen) and Jay (Minnetrista), mirrored the Board’s often-professed Christian values back to them, citing biblical mandates to love the “foreigner residing among you.”

• Legal Liability: Andy (Chaska) and Colleen (Laketown Township) warned that renting beds imports federal liability. They cited recent settlements in Minneapolis regarding wrongful detentions as a warning: when the federal government makes a mistake in a local jail, the Carver County taxpayer pays the settlement.

The Choice of Identity

Hunter (Chaska), a twenty-something resident who has spent his entire life in the county, rejected the idea that this decision was a matter of economics at all. “It’s frankly appalling” that the Board would debate the financial viability of a contract that implicates fundamental human rights, he argued. He challenged the Commissioners to consider their legacy: “In 10, 20, 30 years... do you want to look back and actually take a stand or you just want to watch it happen?”

Jerilyn (Chaska) brought that legacy into the present through the eyes of her five-year-old daughter. As a Hispanic woman and 28-year resident, she shared her daughter’s Christmas wish: “for the bad guys to go away.” In her daughter’s eyes, and the eyes of many attendees, the threat was not their immigrant neighbors, but the agents of fear currently being invited into their community.

The Board now faces a decision. As Pam noted, the Commissioners hold the “power of the purse.” They have the agency to pass a resolution opposing the contract or to offset the Sheriff’s budget by every dollar earned through the deal.

History, the residents suggested, will not remember the revenue generated by a few jail beds. It will remember whether the Board chose to be the protector of its neighbors or the partner of the force disrupting them.

(Scroll down to watch the full proceedings or to read a transcript of the testimony.)

Contact Your Commissioner

The following is a list of the Carver County Commissioners with links to their biographies.

Lisa Anderson (District 1)
Tom Workman, Chair (District 2)
Matt Udermann, (District 3)
Tim Lynch, Vice-Chair (District 4)
John P. Fahey, (District 5)

The Carver County government website offers a Find Your Commissioner tool to identify which Commissioner represents you.

Ask for an in-person meeting to express your views. Failing that, ask for a phone call. If you can’t get a meeting or arrange a call, email your commissioner (you can find their phone number and email address on the bio page links above).

Citizen Opposition Against ICE Contract: Carver County Board of Commissioners Meeting of December 16, 2025

The following livestreamed video of the meeting has been viewed 1,065 time as of this writing.

Transcript

(The spelling of the names of the citizens testifying have not been verified in this transcript)

Carver County Board of Commissioners Meeting - Public Comment

Date: December 16, 2025

Tom Workman: All right, thank you for that. Uh, next item is public comments. Comments that are not related to an item already on the agenda. Have anybody that’d like to speak? Come on up. State your name, your address.

Monique: Good morning, commissioners. My name is Monique LCroy and I am a resident of district 4 in Chaska. Last time I was here, I shared a personal story about witnessing a young man named Alex being detained by ICE as he was leaving the immigration courtroom in hopes of humanizing immigrants. Today, I will share from a different perspective.

I want to begin by thanking Commissioner Fehey and Commissioner Udman. I sincerely appreciate that you took the time with me to listen to my concerns over the phone and to discuss the complexities of immigration and public safety. That dialogue is what good governance looks like. Commissioner Lynch, you are my representative on this board. I have reached out to you to request a meeting, but I have not yet received a response. I would still very much welcome the opportunity to sit down with you—constituent to commissioner—to discuss this important decision.

I am here to ask you to oppose any agreement that uses Carver County resources to house ICE detainees or participate in federal immigration enforcement. Commissioner Lynch, as a logistics professional and former township supervisor, you understand supply and demand. When you have a supply shortage, like staffing sheriff’s office, it is not advisable to take on high-risk clients like ICE that drain your core resources. Right now, the sheriff’s office is facing a severe supply shortage. We have seen turnover rates as high as 40%. The staffing crisis is so acute that the county had to issue a refund of nearly $200,000 to the city of Chanhassen because we physically could not provide the deputies they contracted for.

If we cannot even fulfill our paid contracts to our own cities, why are we volunteering to do the federal government’s work? We are facing an 8% levy increase next year. We cannot afford to divert scarce deputies or tax dollars to subsidize federal operations. But the cost goes deeper than just deputy wages. And this is a critical point for this board specifically. As you know, Minnesota is unique. We are a state supervised county administered system. That means this board is directly responsible for paying for and implementing child protection, mental health services, and economic assistance. These services already consume the largest portion of our county budget.

When the sheriff partners with ICE to detain and deport local residents, he is creating a downstream fiscal crisis that we taxpayers have to pay for. When a bread winner is deported, the family is often plunged into poverty, requiring the county’s assistance. When parents are separated—excuse me—when parents are separated from their children, those children often enter the county’s child protection system. When families live in terror, the demand for county mental health services spikes. From a fiscal perspective, this is a bad deal. The sheriff gets the enforcement headline, but the board gets the bill for the social services cleanup. Every family separated by this policy is a potential new line item in your human services budget.

Commissioner Anderson, this negatively affects your priority of upstream thinking. You have correctly argued that we spend too much time reacting to crises rather than preventing them. You advocate for mental health reform and family stability. Partnering with ICE is the very definition of a downstream disaster. It creates trauma. It destabilizes families. It generates the exact mental health and economic crisis you are trying to prevent. If we want to practice upstream thinking, we must stop policies that traumatize our community at the source. Now, we cannot build a healthy community on a foundation of fear.

Finally, there is the risk of direct legal liability. We know that Operation Metro Surge has been chaotic. Just last week in Minneapolis, ICE agents tackled and detained a US citizen simply for looking Somali. Carver County is already facing litigation from the ACLU regarding the detention of Michael Bella. When a mistake is made, when a US citizen is detained in our jail, it is Carver County that gets sued. It is our levy that pays the settlement. The federal government does not indemnify us for their mistakes.

Tom Workman: Mon’nique, if I can interrupt, we do have a five-minute limit and you’re pushing six.

Monique: So, I have 10 seconds left. Okay. Commissioner Udman, you asked me for a solution. In this moment, I believe the solution is focus. The solution is to say no to the distraction of federal immigration enforcement so that our sheriff can focus 100% on hiring deputies, fulfilling local contracts, and keeping our community safe. The solution is to support the family resource center you mentioned, keeping families together rather than policies that create traumatized children. I ask you all to protect our budget, protect our upstream investments, but most importantly, protect our neighbors. Please oppose any contract with ICE. Thank you so much for your time.

Tom Workman: Thank you. Okay. Anybody else?

Chris: Hi, my name is Chris Moral. I’m a Hennepin County resident. Thank you for providing this open public forum. I was at the recent Chanhassen raid on Saturday, December 13th. I know you received my email, but wanted to tell you in person what I saw and experienced that day. With ICE’s history of assaults, disregard for constitutional rights, and inhumane treatment of people, immigrants and citizens alike, I felt the need to show up as a citizen constitutional observer documenting ICE’s actions.

Saturday, I witnessed an ICE officer assault a peaceful protester by shoving her forcefully. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. I feared for her safety, the safety of the other protesters on scene, and the safety of the two immigrants on the roof during sub-zero weather. In response to what looked like escalating ICE violence, I asked the Carver County deputies on site to move closer so they’d have an unobstructed view of exchanges between ICE, the immigrants, and the protesters.

I generally understand the limitations that local law enforcement is under when dealing with federal law enforcement agencies. I did not ask the deputies to obstruct or breach the perimeter ICE had established. I simply wanted to have a local law enforcement officer there to witness and document any further abuse from ICE, hoping ICE may be held accountable. I presume the sheriff’s department was there to keep the community safe and help deter violent and aggressive behavior from ICE without obstructing or impeding. Aren’t local police there to help prevent and stop aggression and violence towards its community members? Is my question.

I was surprised with the reaction I received. I had to make my request six times over half hour’s time until finally a deputy reluctantly walked a couple hundred feet down the public road so he could see what was going on. This resistance from the sheriff’s deputies looked as if they were supporting ICE over their own residents. Additionally, I’ve heard Carver County is considering entering into an agreement with ICE to utilize its detention facilities.

ICE is an agency that racially profiles. Last week, a 20-year-old Somali American citizen was rushed, tackled, and forced into a vestibule where he was put into a headlock and thrown into an ICE vehicle. All while he was telling the agents that he was an American citizen. They didn’t talk to him. They didn’t identify themselves as ICE agents or ask him to show his ID, passport, or papers. They simply took him away because his skin was black. Prior to that, a 53-year-old woman in Burnsville was yelled at and pinned to the ground because she refused to let ICE into her apartment building. Her husband is a lawful immigrant who is now afraid to go outside. Note, ICE did not have a judicial warrant. Only after she told the men she was going to call the police did they start to let her up.

Here’s an example that local police can be a deterrent for ICE violence if they want to be. Yet another 55-year-old woman was thrown to the ground because she asked some men if they were ICE agents. One ICE agent asked who she was and told her to back up. She stood still. The ICE agent then threw her to the ground, handcuffed her, and took her to the Whipple detention facility for several hours. In no way was this older woman a threat to anyone.

One more. Yes, believe it or not, do you notice a pattern picking on vulnerable people here. One more 55-year-old woman observing and documenting public ICE activities was boxed in by four unmarked SUVs and surrounded by masked men. The ICE agents threatened to arrest her for impeding. Following an ICE vehicle to document their actions in public is not impeding and is a constitutional right we all have. If ICE is using these kinds of intimidating and violent tactics toward US citizens, imagine what they’re doing to immigrants when no one’s watching. It looks very much like Carver County supports ICE.

I’m not a constituent since I live in Hennepin County, but would ask that you all simply and clearly let your constituents know whether you support ICE or not and let them decide at the polls. I can only hope that policies can be reviewed and revised in your local law enforcement department to better protect your residents, the public, and immigrants from ICE’s aggression and violence. I know if any of my representatives facilitate and cooperate with ICE, they for sure won’t have my vote. Thank you for listening.

Tom Workman: Thank you. Hey, anybody else?

Gracia: Good morning. Can you hear me? All right. My name is Gracia Losano. I am the executive director of Latino Voices of Minnesota. We are at 123 West Third Street here in Chaska. As an organization, we are here to voice those who are oppressed and afraid of speaking for themselves. So this morning, I am here to share two testimonials of Chaska residents who are afraid to be up here by themselves.

As a citizen, a resident of Chaska, and a member of the Latino community, I do not agree with the county lending our jails to ICE to imprison members of our community. I am against our county being a part of the injustice of imprisoning innocent people whose only crime is seeking a better future for our families. Accepting this will only create fear and distrust towards local authorities. The presence of ICE in our community has created racism, violence, and insecurity. And we do not want to this to be a reality in our community where simply having a different skin color means being singled out and judged as criminals.

Every day my children go to school with the uncertain—the uncertainty of whether we as their parents will be home when they return. Every time we hear ICE is in our city, my whole family panics. And now turn to learn that there is a possibility that there will be always—that they will be always in our city. I don’t even want to think about what daily life will be like for our community, for my family, for our people. Please, let’s not be a part of the injustice that is being perpetrated. We are not criminals. We don’t want handouts. We are hardworking people who want to work every day to earn our daily bread.

Tom Workman: All right. Well, thank you.

Gracia: This is a second constituent also here in Chaska. Every day I wake up and I see more and more ICE presence in our communities. It takes me back to when I was a young girl many years ago. One of my parents left our home and never came back. They were simply out on their way to the store to buy whatever we needed for dinner, but they never returned because they were pulled over by Carver County Sheriff and detained for not having a license. Although my parent was held at Carver County Jail for a short period of time, they were only there for 3 days and... they were moved quickly to a different facility where they were held for months, far longer than they were here in Carver County.

During that time, we didn’t go visit. It didn’t matter how close they were or where they were being held. The fear was overwhelming. That fear stayed with me for years. Just the sight of a sheriff’s car was enough to terrify me, making me believe my other parent would be taken as well. This happened many, many years ago. But now, as an adult, I look at the children who are leaving through the same reality. Today, I remember how hopeless I felt, and I know this is how they must feel, too. I think about holidays and birthdays spent without one of my parents and how being held in custody nearby wouldn’t have made a difference. Nothing would have. ICE in our communities brings nothing but fear, trauma, and lasting pain for our families. Thank you so much.

Tom Workman: Okay, anybody else?

Bridget: Oh, sorry about that. Okay, thank you. Um, my name is Bridget. Um, I’m from Chaska.

Tom Workman: And Bridget, what’s your last name?

Bridget: Roofy, I’m sorry. And my commissioner is Matt Urderman. Um, I’m opposed to Carver County entering into a contract with ICE for the following reasons. Many of the people being unlawfully detained are either US citizens or legal residents, either through visas or in the process of working towards citizenship. ICE is illegally detaining people through the cruelest means without warrant and based on racial profiling.

This county does not need to invite ICE presence to our city. It is bad for our community and citizens, sends the wrong message of who we are, and is bad for businesses. So, US history is full of examples of good people who followed along and did bad things. The Japanese internment camps and our treatment of Native Americans are just two examples. Being complicit with this government’s racial cleansing attempt is not something that this county should be a part of. Thank you.

Colleen: I’m Colleen Clingal Hutz. I live in Laketown Township. When I initially became aware of the Carver County Sheriff considering contracting with ICE, I brought it to the attention of Chairman Griffin and Commissioner Fehey that I thought this would open the county to possible lawsuits. A Star Tribune story November 3rd reported in Anoka County and Nobles County had both been successfully sued for illegally holding people for ICE and that there was a similar lawsuit pending in Carver County. I believe that was what Monique was referring to as well.

Um I’d like to know how that lawsuit turned out, the one against Carver County, um how much county attorney and county staff hours were spent on that, how much it cost the taxpayers of Carter County itself to defend. I’ve heard some of you say that you want to build healthy community in Carver County, but last night on the television news, it was reported—that was when I first heard about the Chanhassen incident. It’s clear to me that a number of Carver County residents would not be supportive of Carver County Sheriff’s Department contracting with ICE in the way they were um supporting the residents in Chanhassen that day. And I just want you to know, I want to be on record that my husband and I do not support the county contracting with ICE in any way. Both the cities of Eden Prairie and the city of Chaska have come out, their law enforcement departments have come out to let the residents know that while they’ll be there for protecting public safety, they will not be supporting the illegal actions of ICE. So, I certainly do not support it. Thank you.

Katie: Good morning, commissioners. My name is Katie. I’d rather not state my last name for fear of retaliation by federal agencies.

Tom Workman: Uh Katie, where are you from?

Katie: I was just going to say I’m a resident of Hennepin County.

Tom Workman: So, you have no last name. You’re from Hennepin County and you’re in a Carver County boardroom.

Katie: Would you like to hear why, sir?

Tom Workman: Not particularly. We ask the public to identify themselves and so if you don’t want them, we’re less likely to probably listen too well, but we want to listen to our constituents.

Katie: When Chris was speaking before and he said he witnessed someone be assaulted by an ICE agent, I was the one in the back that said that was me. Would you like to hear about it? Because it was in Chanhassen. It was in Carver County.

Tom Workman: I’d like to hear about whatever you want to talk about.

Katie: Thank you. I live close to the border of Chanhassen and frequent your businesses often. However, this past Saturday, I came to your city for a different reason. Because of foreign invaders who were here committing illegal activity. I’m not talking about immigrants. I’m talking about the ICE agents who showed up at a construction site and trapped two men outside in sub-zero temperatures. Men that they didn’t have a judicial warrant to arrest. Men who were there building a home for the community. During the brief time I was there, I was assaulted by an ICE agent.

For any of you who may have been there, I was the woman standing outside the ICE perimeter—outside the perimeter—blocking the porta-potty a particularly aggressive agent wanted to use. So, he shoved me out of his way with both hands. Other observers rushed forward to help me and ICE took that opportunity to escalate the situation even further by storming forward and ordering all of us farther back from the perimeter. When the ICE agent who assaulted me was done going potty, he came back to the same spot and stood holding a giant can of pepper spray menacingly. At one point, he got out his camera and started filming us, presumably in an effort to intimidate us out of exercising our First Amendment rights, which is why I would like to not share my last name today. Thank you very much.

I’m 5’2, by the way. I have heels on, so I might look a little bit taller, but um the agent was twice my size and wearing a gun. When I told Chanhassen police officers who were on the scene about the assault, I was denied protection or support. They told me multiple times, “Ma’am, this is a federal investigation. We can’t interfere.” One of them told me I should file a complaint with ICE. They did not ask me if I was hurt or if I wanted to file a police report. They dismissed me. This is not what it means to protect and serve the community. This kind of response, and worse, is why so many people do not trust local police.

I have video evidence of all these encounters I’ve described, which I’ve been informed I’m not allowed to play during this meeting. But I spoke to a lawyer yesterday who is working with an ACLU team to put together a lawsuit against ICE for use of excessive force against Minnesota residents. They have many more examples besides mine, including the young Somali man who is a US citizen. You already heard about him being violently arrested by ICE in Minneapolis. The pregnant woman who was thrown to the ground and then dragged through the street by one arm yesterday by ICE agents.

Uh pictures and video of my assault are also already being shared on social media by people I don’t even know. These events are also getting national coverage. In case you missed it, my mother-in-law texted me last night to say Rachel Maddow was doing a segment on the Chanhassen ICE Raid on her prime time MSNBC program. Good job everybody. So if you’re not yet taking ICE’s presence and activities in our community seriously and considering how you want to position Carver County in relation to these thugs, you need to start.

Chanhassen has won many accolades for being a great place to live and raise a family. And we all want to keep it getting better. I’ve heard from many people about the excellent communication of ECCS Superintendent Rafkey to families regarding how the district will respond to ICE. You need to decide right now if your leadership will also live up to Eastern Carver County’s wonderful reputation. Terror and anger are mounting in our community because of what is being allowed to happen. My own children are terrified and they’re white. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for black and brown families. I sincerely hope you choose solidarity with the local community against the creeping authoritarianism of this lawless federal regime. Thank you for your time.

Tom Workman: Thank you. Anybody else? Any—Sorry.

Pam: My name is Pam Wentick. I live at 2399 Mul Court, Chaska, Minnesota. I am here today to discuss the potential ICE contract the sheriff is considering signing with to house detainees in the county jail. The events this weekend demonstrate how ICE intends to interact with our community. Your mission statement expresses a desire to make Carver County a place to live, work, and play. How do the events this weekend make Carver County a better place to live? Do they lower the cost of housing by removing an essential part of the workforce? Do they expedite more housing being available in our county?

On Friday, a restaurant in Chaska had to close for lunch because their employees were afraid to come to work. Does that make it easier for businesses to operate in the county? Does the county get more or less tax revenue when a business is unable to operate? Uh parents have been afraid to send their kids to school. There have been ICE sightings at local bus stops. Does instilling fear in lives of the community improve our mental health or make it worse? Does ICE’s presence in our community decrease the needs that HHS is going to have to provide to our community? If ICE’s work does not align with your mission statement, why are you allowing them access to taxpayer funded resources to support their work?

We are also frequently told that in the near future, the county is going to need to build a very expensive new government center because we just don’t have enough room. Yet, the jail is reportedly so underutilized that you have space to rent to the federal government. I think that we should do a study and analyze how we can repurpose unused spaces in the county to meet your needs. And ICE—who is going to receive an additional $75 billion from the big beautiful bill—can build their own detention facilities. I am a frequent viewer of commissioner meetings. Many of you have professed your Christian faith from the dais. Let’s examine some of what the Bible says about how to treat foreigners. “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native born. Love them as yourself for you were a foreigner in Egypt.” Leviticus 19:34. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. The king will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:35-40.

A national publication, The Other 98%, reported on the event Saturday in Chanhassen. They had some impactful words. “Neighbors, workers, organizers, people who understood instinctively that letting someone freeze to make a political point is cruel. It is not law enforcement.” They brought blankets, hot drinks, food. They stood outside in the cold for hours refusing to leave. While the ICE agents lingered below, the crowd did what the state—in this case, you guys are the state—would not do. They protected human life. They checked on the workers. They gave words of encouragement. They made sure those men were not alone on that roof... isolated and expendable in the eyes of a system where the government treats immigrant labor as disposable until it decides to punish it.

When you objectively look at what happened in Chanhassen on Saturday, which group, ICE or the citizens of Carver County lived out the words of God? Does ICE reflect our community values? Today I brought my 84-year-old father, Roger, with me. He is a Vietnam war vet who lives in Chaska. As he has been watching what is happening to immigrants in our country, he often says to me, “I didn’t fight a war for this.” Those words stayed with me. Those words have stayed with me and propelled me to engage. I understand that the sheriff can sign this contract independently of you, but you are all in a position of power and have the ability to engage. During your board comments, you could speak out against this contract. You could pass a resolution opposing the sheriff signing this contract. You control the power of the purse. You could tell the sheriff for every dollar he accepts from this contract, you will remove a dollar from his budget. History will not look favorably on this period of time. Men and women will be judged by their action or inaction. Thank you.

Tom Workman: Anybody else?

Jerilyn: Good morning, council members and neighbors. My name is Jerilyn. Uh I have lived in Chaska, Shakopee and went to school in Chanhassen for 28 years now. Um is how old I am. And as a child, I have had to have this worry every day of my life. Now, as an adult, I can’t imagine what those children are seeing because I have had to see it myself. Today, I can honestly say that this is the worst situation I have ever seen in my lifetime. Families are afraid to leave their homes. Parents are afraid to go to work. Children are afraid to step outside. Our streets are quiet, not because they are safe, but because fear has taken over. Local businesses are suffering because people are staying inside. Afraid that a simple errand could end in family separation.

We have witnessed inhumane treatment right here in our community. A man was surrounded by ICE for 4 hours. That is 4 hours in the cold in sub-zero weather. He was left outside isolated, powerless. And no matter someone’s immigration status, no human deserves to be treated that way. That is not safety. That is cruelty. I can speak for myself, not in this community, but Scott County’s police officers have racially profiled me since the age of nine.

Families are being torn apart in front of their fam—in front of their children. Parents are being taken away, leaving kids confused, terrified, and traumatized. This kind of fear stays with children for their life. As a parent myself, this breaks my heart. My daughter is a US citizen. She is 5 years old. This Christmas, when she was asked what her wish was, she said, “My Christmas wish is for the bad guys to go away.” No 5-year-old should have to carry that fear. No one should believe that their community is dangerous simply because they see parents being taken away.

I want to be very clear. I am a US citizen. I do not feel safe. Racial profiling has made people like me fear being questioned, followed, or looked at or targeted simply because of how we speak. Citizenship should mean protection, not fear. Yet, many of us now feel vulnerable in our own neighborhoods. Allowing Carver County Jail to use their beds for immigration ties our community to a system that thrives on fear, family separation. It sends the message that the kind of harm, this kind of harm is acceptable. It tells children that this is normal. It tells families that their pain does not matter. This is not who we are. The people being impacted here are our neighbors. They work here, shop here, worship here, and contribute here. When they live in fear, our entire community suffers economically and morally. Public safety should never have to come at the cost of humanity. Real safety is built through dignity, compassion, trust, not fear. As of 28 years in this community, I am asking you, please do not allow Carver County Jail to house immigration and ICE and give them beds here. Thank you.

You do not want to see what children are facing every day because of this. I have seen it my entire life. And if someone has the right to speak of what it feels like, I I know what it’s like. I know it might not touch everybody’s heart and I know there are a lot of people that don’t believe in what we do but if even one person can change their mind that is a big difference as of today. Thank you.

Megan: I’m Megan Marsik from 803 Woodridge in Chaska. Um my husband is brown and so are my children. Um, I can move about this community and call it relatively safe, but my kids and my husband cannot. We really don’t go anywhere in Chaska anymore. Um, my son has been pulled over on my road for nothing, no reason. Um, I had to come out in my bathrobe with his passport because he looked Somali. There was no reason.

My husband and I don’t go anywhere because, well, we’re not going to go to Willie McCoy’s anymore. That one’s off the list, right? We’re not going to go to Home Depot anymore. If all of these stories about racial profiling and racism don’t move you, I don’t know why they wouldn’t. You don’t have a moral compass. But if those stories don’t move you, then maybe the economic factors will move you because we’re not going and we’re not going to the places we used to go. We’re in our houses. We’re not going. We’re not supporting the community. This community is going to fall because of the racism in this community. We’re not going anywhere. And if you think it’s just the people of color or the people married to people of color, it’s not. Look at this room. We’ll boycott. I promise you.

Andy: Good morning, commissioners. Thank you for having me here. My name is Andy Derdowski. I’m a disabled veteran and I live in Chaska. I’m here because there appears to be a dangerous disconnect between the law, the sheriff, and this board. Last Friday, Minnesota’s attorney general issued a binding legal opinion confirming that the county sheriff does not have the authority to unilaterally bind the county to the federal government. The sheriff told residents in an email that has been distributed that the final decision has not been made, as if it belongs to him. It does not.

And this is not a simple business deal to rent beds. When you rent a bed to ICE, you import federal liability. ICE has sovereign immunity and we do not. They get the space, but our taxpayers get the lawsuits. This isn’t hypothetical. We are already defending against lawsuits like case 10, Saras Varela versus Carver County and the Carver County Sheriff. Here is the truth. Carver County is not required to help ICE. Carver County is not required to assume federal risk. So before a contract is discussed, I’m asking for two things. Number one, pass a resol—a resolution stating clearly that only this board may approve federal contracts. And second, commit that no ICE agreement will be voted on until the full contract has been made available to the public for 72 hours.

Taxpayers should not be asked to fund raises for conduct that increases our legal exposure instead of reducing it. This board has a choice today. You can assert your authority or you can confirm you’ve surrendered it to the sheriff.

Tom Workman: Thank you. Okay. Anybody else?

Michelle: Hello. My name is Michelle Davis and Lisa is my commissioner. Hi Lisa. Um I am a retired teacher of this year of Eastern Carver County and I have some wonderful neighbors that inform me what was going on. You must understand that I also have had these students in my class. I am compassionate and caring. I also am a resident of this county for 42 years. I pretty much know all your background. I research. I read intensely. I know where you’ve been. I know what you’ve been doing. I read everything. Okay.

Tom Workman: [inaudible]

Michelle: Correct, Tom. I know everything. I read. I’m a very educated woman. So, my friends called me and told me what was going on. I cared about those people that were on the roof because I am a Minnesotan. I know what happens. I know what frostbite is. I know what hypothermia is. The thing is I was more interested in the ICE. I wanted to know what they were doing, what their thought processes were. I’m not a person who gets mad. I’m a person who wants to learn from others. I want to create bridges. I want to know what their thought process is.

And actually, to be quite honest, I got to know the really tall ICE guy really well. And I also got to learn a lot about the Hispanic ICE woman. Matter of fact, she asked me if we could have supper together. We talked about the Constitution. We talked about due process. We talked about racial profiling. We talked about their training five months prior to being Tr—President Trump being in office. So, I understand contracts with billionaires. I understand it all because I read both sides of the story. But that day, I was on the front line and I wasn’t yell—yelling. I was not screaming. I was not swearing. The Carver County Sheriff’s Department was not there. They were hundreds of yards away. And when the family came and pushed through the tape, I have it all on camera. I could send it to national TV.

Tom Workman: Okay.

Michelle: And I haven’t. I was the sheriff department. I told ICE to calm. Take deep breaths. Don’t you dare. And at the very end, the Hispanic ICE person said, “We need to have supper.” They were pushing. They were going to spray the family that also had children. How would you guys have felt if that was on your hands? I should be paid as a sheriff in Carver County, a resident. And so I’m asking you not to put the ICE contract here at Carver County. I am proud of our county. I know how the people feel and I know all the other counties in the state of Minnesota who have signed. There’s not a metro one, so don’t do it. If you do, I’m sending my footage. It’s a threat. Correct.

On the most part, I love what Carver County does, but there’s sometimes that we get our political beliefs involved and we should not. Okay? We’re all good people and we need to um embrace everybody. There should be no racial profiling in my community because I will stand up. I will be the sheriff. Thank you.

Tom Workman: Anybody else?

Jen: Welcome. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Jen Price. I am a resident of the city of Chanhassen. Um I am in Tom Workman’s district and many others have spoken about points that I plan to raise today. I simply want to add my voice uh to urge the county to not proceed uh with a new contractual arrangement with ICE. It’s my understanding I was wanting to educate myself a bit about the history of the county, excuse me, um our relationship if we’ve had any uh with ICE. And I believe that I learned that um we have had past agreements actually longstanding agreements and only recently um no longer have such an agreement. I don’t understand the exact timing of that and I don’t understand the exact impetus for um closing out uh or ending those contractual um obligations.

What I did want to say is that though I do understand that every county, municipality and community has a responsibility uh to its neighbors and its area to be creative and bringing in revenue to do the things that we need to do for our communities. I understand that. I also understand that it is and can be a normal and important function of different levels of law enforcement to cooperate to support each other with the ultimate goal of protecting their residents and the community in general. And I would just like to say that I do not believe that this is the way to do it. This being an agreement um with ICE at this time. I think as other people have very passionately spoken about, we are seeing practices um that are both morally and legally problematic on a consistent enough basis um that can form I I have very strong personal opinions. I believe that that is morally wrong. Um I I personally have those beliefs. Um, but I also believe that it represents a risk that just is not appropriate um or responsible of the county to take on uh for our community and our residents.

I also have great concerns about um the the growing feelings of fear um and uh concern for any number of our residents who I think every last person in this room. Um, I want to assume goodwill would overwhelmingly agree that the immigration immigrant population in our state, in our cities, and our counties are net positive. These are people we want who have long been part of our communities. We want them to continue to be part of our communities. And I think that should we choose to enter into another agreement with ICE at this time um we would be sending to put it mildly the very very wrong decision to all of our community members about our priorities um and our views of their humanity. I thank you for your time this morning and I appreciate the work of the committee. Thank you.

Tom Workman: Welcome, Becky Veron.

Becky: I live in Chanhassen. Tom Workman is my commissioner and um I uh was employed by Carver County for 31 years in social services. I just want you to know that the people gathered here today are only a tip of the iceberg. We are collecting a petition to um to submit to Sheriff Kamerud. So far, we have 324 names on that petition. So, there are a lot more people out in the county. These are all county residents. All of the people that vote for you, that support you. These these all of the people on this petition are saying, “No, we do not want our jail to be used as an ICE facility to detain people.” Thank you.

Tom Workman: Thank you. Okay.

Sally: Good morning, Chair Workman, commissioners. I’m Sally Brown. I’m a resident of Chanhassen and I happen to serve on the Minnetonka school board as well, but today I am here as a resident. Um, just wanted to lend a little additional perspective because I think everything I have been thinking about has already been expressed here. I am the wife and mother of immigrants from Sierra Leone. People who according to our president are no longer welcome in this c—country. And although my family members are citizens, I can tell you that the anxiety level is skyhigh right now. And that concerns me a great deal as a spouse and a mother and community member to watch what they’re going through simply because of what they are witnessing.

Um Saturday I had the opportunity to be in Chanhassen at the site of the construction site and observe what was happening. It was I had heard the stories. I had heard about the behavior of these federal agents. Um and to see it firsthand to see how trigger-happy they were with their pepper spray walking around shaking their cans like threatening when you have residents like me standing at the tape like really. Um, and I was also going to bring up the incident where the family came forward with a toddler and the ICE agent held that that pepper spray inches away from that child’s face. I’m not kidding. Could not have been farther than that.

And so that kind of behavior, I do not believe that our sheriff’s department or any of you want to be associated with that in any way. I would run as far away from that federal agency as I could and I implore you to take a stance against involve—being involved in any way with these functions. I think that there might be some nostalgia from pre-pandemic days when we did provide some beds in our jail for detainees. This is not that ICE. This is a completely different thing now. And I stay say stay clear. I beg you. And as a woman of faith, which I have also heard you all, many of you express, I also could not tolerate this happening in my community without standing up to it. It is not what I believe as a Christian woman. It is not what I believe as someone who looks to God for guidance. Thank you very much for the time.

Tom Workman: Anybody else? Anybody else?

Abraham: Good morning. My name is Abraham Ladesma. I live in Mayer. Uh I’m a business owner here in the community. I’ve been living here for about 10 years. You know, I’ve been in Minnesota uh most of my life. I immigrated here from Mexico back in the ‘90s. You know, I I just want to add my voice and say that I’m hoping that you all don’t approve this or at least make your voices known that you oppose it. You know, I I have to tell my wife when I leave the house and when I come back from from from work because she’s afraid I’m going to get pulled over. I’m a citizen, but she’s still worried, you know.

Um, none of you guys have to or ladies have to worry about that. Think about that. Please look into your heart. Our kids are afraid. My parents, they’re they’re here in Minnesota. They’ve been living here just long me. They’re afraid to go to Walmart for God’s sake. Come on. Like, you have to look at your heart and understand that this puts our communities at risk. And a lot of people are just afraid of doing common things like going to the store or going to anywhere. Like, we’re all living in fear. You all can make your voices known and at least make us feel like we’re welcome in this community, which I hope you do. Thank you.

Tom Workman: Welcome.

Hunter: Hello. I’m uh Hunter Leslie. I’ve uh you know, I’ve lived my I lived my whole life in Carver County. I guess two years, but otherwise, like I’ve lived my whole life here. You know, I grew up here. Every minute of my life has been spent here. And I think it’s kind of a joke that this is even people are even talking about finances in this situation. This isn’t like a talk of like, oh, is it economically viable for this to happen? We’re looking at the fundamental question of human rights and the fundamental question of what it means to live in a free country and the fact that ICE is able to do this on our day-to-day is like it’s frankly appalling.

Um, the fact this is even existing in the United States today and that it’s something that we even have to watch happening in our neighborhoods. I mean, it it’s almost hard to believe that it’s even real cuz I was always taught that this isn’t something that could happen here. Um, but yet, you know, just the other day, some of my friends, some of their neighbors, they were kidnapped by ICE just out of nowhere. You know, I my girlfriend at her salon, you know, she has people in her chair crying about being scared to live their lives. You know, go out into the street and just go about their day-to-day. And in the United States, you don’t hear about that in the United States. So, the fact that we’re even thinking about accepting that in Carver County is it’s disgusting, you know, and the fact that anyone can sit in a position of power and even debate like, oh, is it okay or is it not okay? I think I just can’t even believe that that’s something that we’re engaging with, frankly. Um, so fundamentally, like I don’t think it’s economic at all. I think we’re talking about if this is as a human being morally acceptable to allow this in our neighborhoods or not. And in 20—10, 20, 30 years towards the end of your life, do you want to look back and actually take a stand or you just want to watch it happen? Thank you.

Tom Workman: You didn’t. Where do you live?

Hunter: Uh I live in Chaska. I live right out next to Clover Ridge Elementary School. That’s where I went to school. Thank you.

Tom Workman: Okay. Anybody else? Anybody else? Going once, twice. Anybody else? Welcome.

Jill: Thank you. I’m Jill Randall. I had planned on this, but I have to say it. I live in Chaska. I’ve lived in my home here for 38 years. Before that, five years in seven years in Chanhassen. It all boils down to due process. I I look at what has happened with ICE all over this country. Look what happened in Chicago flying in with Blackhawk helicopters, vandalizing apartment building. Not one person was arrested for that. And it’s wrong. And I’ve been saying many times, I’m too glad I won’t be alive to read the history books um in 30 years from now. But it is wrong and it’s not following the law. And uh that’s basically what it comes down to. We are a country of immigrants and we need to stand up to that and do what’s morally and legally right. Due process. Thank you.

Tom Workman: Thank you. Hey, anybody? Anybody else? Yes, sir.

Jay: Good morning, everybody. My name is Jay Brish, spelled B R U S C H. I’m a resident of Minnetrista, which for all practical purposes makes me a resident of Carver County since ain’t much shaking in Minnetrista. Uh I only have about an 10-minute thing to say 10 seconds sorry 10-second thing that I want to say to you which is it’s decision time now and a bunch of people have spoken to you and I don’t have anything additional to add other than that um let me just say that I’m a a white evangelical Christian which kind of should make me the enemy but I just want to remind you to listen to the words of Jesus that were already spoken to you today as you do to anyone the least to my brethren, you do it to me. All right? And we think of that as you decide today whether to allow ICE um to have a base in in Carver County. Thank you.

Tom Workman: Thank you. Welcome.

Maurice: Thank you. I’m Maurice Nodgrass and I live in Chaska. And I had a little spiel to write today. I just got back from uh a trip to visit my son in Texas. Um but I guess what I want to say is my daughter lives in Amsterdam. She’s been there 5 years. She bought a home. She’s not ready to come back. I’ve been to the museums there. We don’t want to see what has happened in Europe during... We don’t want to see the concentration camps. And that’s basically what these detention centers are. It’s it’s horrifying. You go there, you can see they’ve got these little step um little plaques in front of people’s homes and it shows where they were taken to and killed.

Um they’ve got the Dutch Resistance Museum which is extremely powerful. I went there a year ago and that was before Trump took over and before it got as ugly as it has gotten and it was so powerful. People were scraping in like five gallon plastic buckets trying to find anything they could get to eat there. People were being in hiding and that they came as they say. I can’t remember what the quote is, but they first they came for the Jews, then they came for the colored and then they came and and then it’s like, “Oh, I’m the only one left. I guess they’re coming for me.” So, we don’t want to repeat what happened with Hitler. And that’s what’s going on right now. We’re profiling people, picking them up, and then nobody knows where they go, and she’s staying there. She bought a home, and I feel that she’s safe there. Do you really want your 30-year-old daughter to be that far away? In this case, I do want her there because she is safe. Thank you. And please do not invite ICE into our community. Thank you.

Tom Workman: Welcome.

Charles: Thank you. My name is Charles Lieber. I live in Carver at 511 Sky View Lane. Uh I I didn’t come here intending to say this, but I agree with just about everything people have said, but the other thing that I’ve observed is your patience, and I just want to thank you for your patience in listening to all. Thank you.

Tom Workman: Welcome.

Barbara: Thank you. My name is Barbara Brooks. I live in Waconia. I’m probably out of order, but I would just love to hear your response. Look at how we’ve responded. I I would really like to hear from the commissioners how you’re going to respond to all of this that’s been said today.

Tom Workman: Uh if that was a question, the board during public presentations does not respond. It doesn’t matter if it’s about a property tax bill or u a business complaint or this. We don’t get into a debate at the board meeting about it, but we’d love for you to keep in touch with us any way you can. I thought Mon’nique was going to be the only one to talk today. Where is she? Um, and she did invite me to get together with her and I’ll find time. Hopefully, we can get together and talk. Um, there she is. Keep looking over your head. Sorry.

So, but no, we it’s a recipe for disaster to get into a debate and and talk uh or back and forth over the issues. So, we don’t do that. We do appreciate your input. I don’t know if everybody’s done coming up. Um, we’ll have more of the person who said we’re a pretty good bunch. Who was that? Charles, Charles, you can come back. But, uh, but we do appreciate it. Uh, this is a complicated issue. Um, most of what most most of what doesn’t have anything to do with the Carver County Board. Of course, we don’t defend anything any law enforcement does. That’s out of line, out of order. They’re not ordered by us. They’re not ordered by the sheriff. So um very little is in our hands. But when when

Attendee: that it is not true and you know it—

Tom Workman: I just I don’t I don’t think hooliganism—hooliganism responding to hooliganism is going to work for you, miss. It’s not going to work. It’s not going to work. So, so when the board uh has a question in front of it, you guys will know that um four days before it’s decided on and that’s the way it works. Did you have something to say? I did. Okay.

Rachel: My name is Rachel Leno. I live in Chaska and we’ve been here over 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like this before. And the amount of fear in our neighborhoods is astounding and embarrassing. We should we have um you have on your website translated into Spanish and yet you’re telling people you’re not welcome here, but we’re going to go ahead and use your language and pretend you are, but we’re going to also arrest you and let ICE into our communities. It doesn’t make any sense to me. You’re speaking out of both sides of your mouths. And I want to call ICE what it is. It’s a gestapo. And if people were just if if the contract was put this way, we’re going to allow people to kidnap citizens off the street. How would you vote for that? Are are we saying that that’s okay? Because there’s no due process. And if we are a constitutional country and you take an oath to the constitution at all, then how can you go ahead and say that it’s fine to just take people and then not give them due process? So I oppose any kind of partnership with ICE or using my tax dollars for that. I want to be on the right side of history, not the right side of history. Thank you.

Tom Workman: Anybody else? Anybody else?